CU football: Buffs stand by Liufau as starting quarterback

MacIntyre says offense must play better in all areas

Sefo Liufau may not have full support from fans, but the Colorado quarterback has a very important man on his side.

His head coach.

With the Buffaloes (3-3, 0-2 Pac-12) riding a two-game losing streak and their offense still trying to get rolling, there is a certain fraction of fans calling for backup Cade Apsay (who happens to be the third-string quarterback).

Asked Monday if he's ever considered making a change at quarterback, CU head coach Mike MacIntyre gave a definitive, "No," and went on to the next question.

Later, MacIntyre said it's very simple why the Buffs continue to play Liufau at quarterback.

"Sefo has played a lot," MacIntyre said. "He's done well, he's big, he's strong, he's competitive. I can't say how big the gap is (between Liufau and backups Jordan Gehrke and Apsay), but we feel like he's better right now."

After back-to-back losses to Oregon and Arizona State to open Pac-12 play, the Buffs are looking to get back on track when they host Arizona on Saturday.

Liufau is coming off his best statistical game (25-for-40, 389 yards) of the season, but, for the second game in a row, threw an interception and had a costly fumble.

Liufau has cut down on his interceptions this year - he has three in six games, after throwing 15 in 12 games last year - but he hasn't been nearly as productive through the air, and he is 1-15 as a starter in Pac-12 games.

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All that has led to fans clamoring for somebody else to take the reins of the offense, but CU has no plans to do that.

"No. 1, we need to play better all across the board on offense," MacIntyre said. "It hasn't always been his fault. The quarterback always gets all the blame no matter what, and he gets all the credit no matter what.

"We just have to execute better in every phase - a little bit with Sefo, a little bit with receivers, a little bit with the offensive line, a little bit with the running backs."

MacIntyre said that's why he left Liufau in the game during the final six minutes on Saturday, despite the Buffs trailing by 25 and despite the fact that Liufau had been hit hard all night.

"We wanted to get him in rhythm," MacIntyre said. "We got that drive going and we hadn't been in rhythm on offense. We were hitting plays right down the field and looked really good, trying to give him confidence."

Liufau was 4-for-7 for 53 yards and was sacked twice on that last possession. He was sacked a career-high eight times on the night.

For the year, Liufau, who set 54 school records in 2014, is 116-of-194 (59.8 percent) for 1,391 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. He's also rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns - the first two rushing touchdowns of his career.

Punt protection change

While Liufau's job is safe, it appears somebody else on the team has lost a job.

Punter Alex Kinney has had two punts blocked and another one tipped this year and MacIntyre said, "It's one guy's fault. The same guy."

Asked how the Buffs can correct that, MacIntyre said, "Replace him."

MacIntyre did not indicate which player has been at fault.

Prime-time players

On Monday, the Pac-12 announced that CU's game at Oregon State on Oct. 24 will kick off at 8:30 p.m. Mountain. It will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

That will be CU's fourth consecutive night game, and it'll be the sixth time in the first eight games that CU will kick off after 5 p.m. local time.

Notable

MacIntyre said left tackle Sam Kronshage (concussion) will be back this week. The Buffs aren't sure whether linebacker Addison Gillam (knee) or running back Michael Adkins II (hamstring) will play. ... Monday was CU's first time on the field since Saturday's loss. MacIntyre said the team was focused. "They're a resilient bunch that always keeps working hard. We just need to execute a little bit better on game day."

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